Fish And Chips Or Being Jesus To The World

Scripture: John 21:1-25; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Title: Fish and Chips or Being Jesus to the World

What do we do after Resurrection? Jesus shares with us four quick lessons on some things that He wants us (His Church) to do today, tomorrow and for the rest of our time here on earth.

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

The last few weeks have been amazing.

+We experienced a great Palm Sunday! I loved all the songs and the testimonies. It was a great time to just sit and listen to how God has worked in so many different people’s lives in so many various ways.

+We experienced a great Resurrection Sunday! It is always good to pause and remember the life changing power of Jesus’ Resurrection.

After all, a dead Jesus does any of us very little good. If Jesus had remained in that tomb then we have nothing to celebrate; we would have no hope, no future.

For the Christ Jesus we needed was more than a man who merely died on the cross. We needed a Jesus who was also raised from the dead.

+A Jesus who was raised from the dead is a Jesus who has power over death.

+A Jesus who was raised from the dead is a Jesus who has power over sin.

+A Jesus who was raised from the dead is a Jesus who is able to give us everlasting life.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way in speaking to the Church in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

1“Now brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, “

This morning, we are a couple of Sundays removed from Resurrection Sunday. We find ourselves in a whole new month; the month of May.

+Palm leaves have already turned or are turning brown.

+Easter lilies are losing their blooms if they have any left.

+Our stash of chocolate candy is almost gone and we no longer have display any of our Easter decorations.

So, what do we do now?

That is where we find Jesus’ disciples in John chapter 21.

Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday for them is in the rear view mirror. They are now wondering what they are to do next.

From our reading we can gather a few quick facts about what has been going on:

+The Disciples are back in the area of the Sea of Galilee

+They are growing a little restless

+It seems that some of them maybe toying with the idea of going back into the fishing business

Verses 2 tells us that seven of them (Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John plus two others) were all together in one place. Simon Peter suddenly decides that he wants to go fishing. He was tired of sitting around and wanted to try his hand back at fishing. Looking around, the others decided that they would join him. So, they all got out their boats and nets and spent the night fishing.

This little journey back into the water proved to be a pivotal event in the disciple’s lives.

+You have to wonder if Simon Peter was being tempted to go back into fishing full time. Fishing was something that Peter knew he could do. It was something that he was good at and it was something that he had made a good reputation doing. If the last few days had taught him anything it was that he was not that great of a disciple.

When things got tough, Peter bailed out. When the heat was put on he melted. Peter was confident in his skills as a fisherman. He was not so confident in his skills at being a disciple much less being the next leader of the disciples.

+You also have to wonder if Simon Peter had decided to go back into fishing would the majority of the others decide to join him. Without Jesus present, Simon was next in line as their leader.

It is at this moment that Jesus steps back into the picture.

Everything Jesus had done for His disciples and others over the last 3 ½ was not going to be in vain. Jesus was going to teach them some very important lessons. Lessons that I believe if we will look at this morning and learn from them, they will help us to know what we should do today. For like them we live in a post Resurrection world.